Metal's Butcher

It's hard to say whether we thought we'd be around in 30 years. I don't think we thought in those terms,” says Jørn 'Necrobutcher' Stubberud of the illustrious and controversial Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. “I thought for myself that I would probably be 24 years old and then die at that time. So it made it very hard to predict any future beyond five years. But when we started this band we were very enthusiastic about it, and because we were like 16 at the time it was all-consuming, and I would say that it has been a good way to spend the years.”

Speaking in fragments of sentences in a non-native tongue, Necrobutcher seems elusive, almost cagey. It's not hard to see why though, as his band was at the centre of the scene that exploded into global infamy in the early '90s. Yep, Mayhem were the band that made a photo of their singer's suicide scene an album cover. And yes, band members did make necklaces out of chunks of his skull. Then there was their involvement in the church burning scene, and the guitarist, Euronymous, that was stabbed to death by Varg Vikernes. But Necrobutcher's not interested in talking about all of that. In fact, he believes that the band has managed to keep at it for 30 years because he, along with drummer Hellhammer and long-time vocalist Atilla Csihar, have always kept looking at what was ahead of them, instead of focusing on the tawdry details of a lurid past. “It's always been just going ahead. I've never stepped back and thought about anything like, 'Why am I doing this?'”

As though to prove his point, Necrobutcher reveals that Mayhem are currently in the mixing process for a new album, the band's first in six years. “As well as having the 30-year anniversary next year, we have a new album coming it. It's in the mix right now. It should be out in March, and it's going to be a busy year of like a 30-year anniversary and a world tour.”

That is the same album that, ahead of the 2011 Mayhem Australian tour, Atilla Csihar promised this writer would 'definitely' be released in 2012. Necrobutcher is unapologetic.

“In 2008, our songwriter [guitarist, Blasphemer] left the band, so we had to find a replacement to establish a steady line-up. And we did that last year, and then we started writing this album. Everything changed since we last did an album. The band changed, tastes changed. Everything. Six years down the line, and when you look at the back catalogue of what we did, there's usually four years between albums, so they always become totally different. Every time. But other than that, it's me and Hellhammer still going on.”

Necrobutcher promises fans that they'll get a chance to judge it for themselves in the new year, because there's going to be new cuts in the set that will only add to the celebration.